Category: Reflections

So, my planner addiction has been confirmed. I walked into Michael’s last week, and just could NOT pass up the Happy Planner from MAMBI (me & my BIG ideas). And yes, Eric scolded me a little bit for it. One of my high school teachers (who also loves and feeds my addiction) mentioned this planner to me, and I just sort of looked away from it. I had just spent a week designing my own planner, and was not ready to give it up just yet.

But as the semester went by, and I am getting more involved in programs here at UK (You are now looking at the UK Mountain Cats Short Term Trips Chair!), I have begun to realize that my planner wasn’t cutting it. And of course, my attention span with planners is about three months (guilty as charged)…I get tired of looking at the same ol’ thing, and always need a fresh start.

Is this love at first sight?

But…let me tell you, I am IN LOVE this new planner. This planner has given me life this week! I am so eager to pull out my books and complete my homework, JUST so I can check it off my list. Plus, for every hour of studying I do, I’ve been giving myself five minutes to mess around with it/decorate it/fill it—fantastic motivation!

If you have not picked up this planner, you must, and here’s why you should:

1. It’s cheap.

I picked up this planner at Michael’s for about $20. Of course, it was a little more than that, but hello, everyone knows everything as Michael’s is basically 40% off (they always have coupons!!). This is such a great price, especially when considering that this planner goes from July 2015 to December 2015—That’s a year and half worth of planning, and you won’t have to buy another one for a while.

2. In fact, you probably will never have to buy another one again.

You can buy add-ons for this planner, including notes pages, more monthly inserts, etc. And it is definitely cheaper than buying a new one! Almost everything is interchangeable and customizable, including the cover, the ring, the pages….everything! I just went to buy a pack of note pages to put into mine.

3. You can tear the pages out, AND THEN PUT THEM BACK IN.

What a marvelous invention!! It’s nothing like a three-ring binder punch, you just easily push them in, and viola! It’s definitely something you have to see for yourself—I have nothing to compare it to, because there is simply nothing like it. This is wonderful for those who like to decorate their weekly spreads. Covering it with washi is now 100x easier!

They just pop in and out so easily.

4. The weekly spreads are unique.

You are never totally stuck with the same old pre-printed designs every week. One week may have quotes, the other may have a cute pattern, and the months have varying color combinations. My attention span just got a lot longer because I get a fresh new design every week.

5 . Inspirational quotes!!

It is so lovely to read a little bit of a pick me up every few weeks. As a bit of a pessimistic person, these really brighten my day 🙂

6. You can buy sticker packs that fit the planner perfectly.

I LOVE that MAMBI sells supplies that fit your planner to the smallest degree. I never have to worry about sizing. They are always just the right size.

In price and in convenience. I can buy all the supplies locally, without having to order it online. It’s incredibly cost efficient, and I don’t have to look at the same thing every week! Plus, I just flat out hated that overly used little asterisk symbol after a year of staring at it!

Of course, there are some avid Erin Condren fans out there—I was one for a long time! But this planner is REALLY similar (especially if you love her vertical layout!) and SO much more convenient on my budget and my life.

My October Monthly Spread. Hmm, didn’t realize how plain jane it was…on to decorating!!I just LOVE this washi set!This week’s spread. I should definitely start posting these on Instagram—get me a follow and we can make this happen.

So, if you haven’t picked up a planner this year yet, I definitely recommend this one. I mean, how can you not already be in love with it? Also, it would make a great gift for anyone that has a knack for organization!

Thanks for reading,

Yin

How did you like this review? What do you like/dislike about this planner? Do you have another planner favorite? Why is it the bomb dot com? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

*Okay guys, I’m really going to try to make a post every Friday. Hopefully, I’ll hear from you next week. Until then, have a wonderful day!

So I’ve been really interested in the “Plan With Me” videos and posts online, and have decided to try it out. This is the first week that I’ve gotten to use my new planner that I created from scratch, and I am SO excited to show you all how I have been using it. I’m going to try to provide a few tips and tricks along the way, here goes:

One of my favorite things that I use to “spice up” my planner is washi tape. I created my planner to have a simple design, therefore I am able to mix and match designs, washi, and stickers without worrying about matching colors. This leaves me free to make each week my own.

I love my sunflower sticker. Wait up for a new post tomorrow about how I made this!

This week I was going for a bright theme with all things pink, orange, and yellow. In my “blank space,” I created my own sticker which I will post about tomorrow to show you how to make personalized affordable stickers fit to your needs (so stay tuned!). Sunflowers are my favorite flower, and I was so happy to incorporate this sticker in my planner to keep me upbeat and happy like the sunshine!

I had a really big week this week from coming back to my college town, finalizing my new apartment details, volunteering at the hospital, helping my friend move out, and, of course, planning my sister’s sweet sixteen. I’ve still got quite a lot of things to do to prepare for this coming fall, but having a planner really keeps me organized without feeling scatter-brained and overwhelmed.

I had originally split my planner into two sections each day so that I could have one section for school and save the other for more personal things. I really like this set up, but since school isn’t in session…I just utilized the entire space. I used the top section for “planned” events and the bottom to record things that happened that day anyway.

I got these see-through post it notes from Wal-mart on clearance for 75 cents—what a great buy. I love stocking up on supplies with clearance items. I jotted down some notes about a canoeing trip that I might take next weekend and my notes with my apartment office.

I put down vitamin stickers each day because I recently found out that I have a horrible vitamin deficiency that has really taken a toll on me. I feel exhausted every day, and my vitamin D, iron, and B12 deficiency seemed to be the root of the cause. So I wanted to make small stickers to remind myself that I need to take my vitamins daily so that I could be at the top of my game every day. These kinds of stickers really make me accountable for taking vitamins/medicines that I usually forget about, because I love to “check” them off!

My to-do list this week was SUPER FULL, and unfortunately, I didn’t fulfill everything on my list. But because it is so easy to see what I did and did not complete, I am able to transfer these “to-do”s for next week.

I also made myself a “don’t forget” insert that I made myself (check out the DIY spiral bound insert here) for my trip to Kings Island this weekend, as well as written directions on the back on how to get there.

This week, while stressful and full, ended up being a great one. If you aren’t currently using a planner, I really recommend it to keep up with tasks and events that go on in your life. It truly keeps me accountable for what I know I should do, and it ends up being sort of “yearbook”-like at the end of the year—especially with my “reflection” section. Looking back at my old planners, I find myself reminiscing about events I had totally forgotten about!

Thanks for reading,

Yin

Did you like this post? What do you think about my planner? What do you have in your planner that makes it unique to mine? Let me know in the comments, and please share!